Nelly Furtado on motherhood

Although we already wrote aboutNelly Furtado‘s 2 1/2 year old daughter Nevis‘ influence on her music earlier this month, the release of her new album Loose means that Nelly is doing many interviews, and with that comes more information about her thoughts on mothering. Here’s the latest:

– Nelly was asked by Blender Magazine what she considers herself. She replied, "Hippie! I had a homebirth with midwives."

– Nelly is known for her fabulous abs, but when asked about it, she says she thinks she has improved herself by having a child, although she admits she did struggle the first year. “I just think motherhood made me better, I think it rejuvenates you as a person, mind, body and spirit, and I think every women is different. For me, [Nevis] is almost three-years-old now, and the first couple of years I did struggle. I was a little overweight, and I was nursing her, and I kept the weight on for a while, and then I just started working out a little more.”

– Nelly credits her daughter for the youthful sounds of her new album:“When they become toddlers, walking, talking, singing, dancing, it’s like you have no choice but to experience life again, like you’re a child again, and it really had a positive impact on me.”

– Being a single mom (she and Nevis’ father, DJ Lil’Jaz, broke up when Nevis was around 18 months) for the first time also had an effect on the way Nelly went about making her album: "It really made me take my job way more seriously, it made me think about my work ethic, it made me think more about providing for Nevis and her future."

-You can be split and still be a great parenting team: "[Nevis’ father and I] were together for four years and friends for five or six years before that. We’re fully active co-parents and really close friends, so things are irie." [Irie is a Jamaican noun for "the ultimate positive – great, excellent"].

-Nelly does hope for more kids though: ‘Maybe in the next five years I’ll get married, have more kids. Onegrandmother had eight kids, the other had 10. If I have that many kids,then I would need a husband.’

I love the fact that she’s not one of those “I lost all the weight and got my figure back 6 weeks post partum” chicks. The media loves to show those stories but it’s just not realistic. When I was nursing I held onto to those last 10 pounds of fat the 1st year, then it was a slow process (another 9 months or so) to get back into a body that semi-resembled my pre-pregnancy body. I love that she says she struggled for a couple of years — I can totally relate!

Annie
on July 1st, 2006

I also love reading that it took her time to get back to good shape – I am now at the 15 mth mark and have about 5 lbs to go but I am so slow into getting back into a routine. The # sounds small, but I’m short and petite so on me it looks like 15 lbs on an avg woman.

Anytime I see celebs who look awesome after having babies I am inspired – regardless of how they lost it.

carly
on July 1st, 2006

i love her attitude to her baby, body and co parenting.she really seems very happy and wise

Nadia
on July 6th, 2006

I love her attitude! I love that she is real about the struggle during the first few years. I am barely through my 2nd year but still in the struggle!